Welcome to SWRPGNetwork!

Well, after too long an outage, we're back. I'd like to thank Grayson Armage Bedar Shepard and Kris Eclipse Vanderwater for all their help in getting the site back up. I couldn't have done it without their help.

Anyways, after this little experience we'll be looking to do some upgrades to improve stability, so hopefully this won't happen again.
...

Please forgive the personal announcement, but I figured that site visitors would likely want to know about this. I have recently accepted a position as a full time designer for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game at Wizards of the Coast. I'm moving out to Seattle to work in the Wizards offices as a full-time employee, helping write and direct the Star Wars RPG line and assisting on the Star Wars miniatures line. Though it's a daunting prospect to move across the country, I feel confident that I'll be able to adapt. Additionally, since I'll be spending my days working on the Star Wars RPG, I'll be doing what I've been working toward for the last five years.

I hope that this turns out to be a good move. At the very least, it should give all fans of Star Wars roleplaying some hope, as it means the line will continue with me as a full-time designer. Wish me luck, and may the Force be with you!
...

Last night as a part of WotC's UnCon, Gary "GMSarli" Sarli and I took part in an online chat about the upcoming Star Wars RPG Saga Edition core rulebook. Though the chat was a surprise to me as well, we managed to have a pretty solid chat that revealed some details of the new system. Check out the Holonet Forums post for a transcript of the chat, and ongoing discussion. Special thanks to Starcloud on the WotC forums for providing the transcript of the evening's festivities.
...

The Q1 WotC product catalogue has come out, it seems, and in it is some more information about the big project that Owen K.C. Stephens and I worked on together. After Amazon.com broke the news on the book early, I didn't know whether or not I could mention it, so I waited until the catalogue came out to post the announcement here. Regardless, here is the information on the product:

This new edition of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game encapsulates all six feature films while presenting a thorough revision of the rules, making the game easier to learn while improving the overall play experience. The new 288-page core rulebook includes new character abilities and options, a streamlined skill system, a revised combat system, new feats and Force powers, a world gazetteer, statistics for key characters from all six Star Wars films and the Expanded Universe, and guidelines on how to use Star Wars Miniatures and battle maps in play.

The box art for the upcoming Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game has been revealed, and it looks as though the ships included are going to be rather large. Also, it looks as though both the Executor and the Mon Calamari cruiser are really, really big -- if the starter box is to scale with the Revenge of the Sith starter box, the ships could be as big as twice or three times the size of the WotC standard Huge-sized miniatures. If so, this set could be one of the best things to come out of WotC (especially for fans of the RPG) in years!
...

Wizards of the Coast's product catalogue has been updated to include the releases for September through December of 2006, and one of the new products is a highly-anticipated starship combat game. Here is the blurb from the catalogue:

Star Wars Miniatures
Starship Battles
Starter Set and Booster
The Star War Miniatures gaming experience reaches a whole new level!

Star Wars Starship Battles is a new collectible miniatures game based on the popular Star Wars Miniatures Game. Long anticipated by fans, Starship Battles presents authentic starship figures from across all eras of the Star Wars saga. This 40-figure set is made up exclusively of space vehicles of all sizes, from starfighters to capital ships, all represented in relative scale. The starter game also contains two exclusive, non-randomized figures not available anywhere else, the Super Star Destroyer Executor and the Mon Calamari Star Defender Viscount.

Drawn from the popular films, computer games, comics, and novels, the starships in this set are presented in relative scale to each other and not scale with other Star Wars Miniatures figures.

Starter Game Componants:

rulebook

game map

two exclusive, non-randomized figures

ten randomized figures

stat card for each figure

set checklist

Booster Componants:

seven randomized figures

stat card for each figure

set checklist

Nov. 21, 2006; Starter $39.99, Booster $19.99

Sounds pretty interesting. Also of note, I have a Dungeons & Dragons book coming out in September, co-written by Star Wars d20 author Owen K.C. Stephens. Here's the blurb on it:

Dragon Magic
Owen K.C. Stephens and Rodney Thompson
An exploration of two of the most exciting components of D&D - magic and dragons.
Dragon Magic changes the way dragons are used in D&D campaigns. By imagining a world in which dragons openly share their magical secrets with humans and other races, this supplement encourages characters to form associations with dragons and learn ancient dragon secrets. Intended for both players and Dungeon Masters, Dragon Magic offers players new feats, spells, and magical items tied to dragons, while it gives DMs information on how to run a challenging new setting or enrich a current campaign.
Sept. 12, 2006; 160 page hardcover, $29.95

SWRPGNetwork Conversions webmaster GMSarli has alerted us to news that the Dark Side Sourcebook and Power of the Jedi are to be reprinted in June. This is confirmed with the uppity ups at Wizards, so those of you that missed them the first time around should be sure to check them out.
...

Wizards of the Coast has posted a PDF file written by SWRPGNetwork Conversions webmaster Gary "GMSarli" Sarli featuring extensive stats from Revenge of the Sith. Taken from web articles written over the course of several weeks, this all-in-one mini-sourcebook should help any gamers wishing to run adventures in the Clone Wars, or even post-Episode III. Take the time to download it, it's really worthwhile.
...

SWRPGNetwork staffer GMSarli is reporting that the upcoming Attack on Endor Scenario Pack expansion for the Star Wars Miniatures Game will include new game material for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Apparently, the package includes statistics for several characters and creatures. Here's the scoop:

New vehicle, new creature, bunch of NPCs ... some of these guys had stats previously (several from Rebellion Era Sourcebook), but they're updated to the revised rules. Ponda Boba, Dr. Evazan, and Baron Sootir Fel are all new (AFAIK), and Kyle Katarn is the only one who already had revised stats (Power of the Jedi, but then no one seems to be able to get a copy of PotJ anymore!). Complete list:

Admiral Ackbar

BARC Speeder

Baron Fel

Varactyl (the lizard, named "Boga," that Obi-Wan rode on Utapau in RotS)

Dark Trooper Phase III

Dr. Evazan

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Guri

Kyle Katarn

Ponda Boba

Prince Xizor

A step in the right direction, at the very least. Here's hoping that sales do well and roleplayers show enough interest to encourage the production of more RPG material.
...

We at SWRPGNetwork always like to see interesting new fan projects, and the guys over at the Star Wars fan comics site (responsible for the excellent Cracken's Crew fan comic) have come up with a great sourcebook for fans of the prequel era. This sourcebook covers many of the Jedi from the Clone Wars and is a great resource for anyone looking to add a little action to their prequel game. Nar Cranr sent us this brief blurb about the project:

Fandom Comics has finally released the first chapter of their latest work in progress; a Clone Wars Sourcebook. The current chapter features thirteen NPCs that are either Sith or Dark Jedi during the Clone Wars era, along with a chronological write up of their involvement during the Clone Wars.

Be sure to surf on over and check it out, and discuss it right here on the Holonet Forums.
...